Red Cross Confirms ‘162 Killed’ In Kwara Massacre

The Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) has confirmed that at least 162 people were killed in a brutal attack on Woro village in Kaiama local government area of Kwara State on Tuesday, making it one of the deadliest assaults in the country in recent months.

The Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who earlier confirmed 75 deaths, described the killings as “a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells following ongoing counterterrorism campaigns” in parts of the state.

“The victims were local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine,” AbdulRazaq told residents during a visit to the Emir of Kaiama’s palace on Wednesday night.

“President Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion under Operation Savannah Shield to launch counter-offensives against the attackers,” he added.

The state secretary of the Red Cross, Babaomo Ayodeji, confirmed the updated death toll of 162 late Wednesday, noting that rescue teams were still recovering bodies from the surrounding bushlands.

“Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues,” Ayodeji stated, revising an earlier count of 67 casualties.

Witnesses said the gunmen stormed Woro village around 6:00 p.m., setting houses, shops, and even the king’s palace ablaze. A local lawmaker, Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, said between “35 to 40 dead bodies were initially counted” before the number surged.

“Many others escaped into the bush with gunshots,” Ahmed said, adding that the village’s traditional ruler, Alhaji Salihu Umar, remains missing.

Authorities and local security sources have blamed “terrorist cells” for the attack. The Nigerian military, which recently launched coordinated operations against bandits and jihadist groups in Kwara, said it had “neutralised over 150 terrorists” during operations in January.

“Troops also stormed remote camps hitherto inaccessible to security forces,” the army said in a statement, noting that the operation had “significantly degraded the terrorists’ sustainment capability.”

Analysts warned that the incident could mark a deepening alliance between Boko Haram and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which claimed its first attack in Nigeria last year also in Kwara State.

“The latest raid occurred just four kilometres from the site of JNIM’s October attack,” said researcher Brant Philip, suggesting “a direct overlap” in jihadist zones of operation and a “loose alliance” between both groups.

The massacre came amid a broader wave of insecurity across Nigeria, where armed gangs, jihadist factions, and communal militias continue to unleash violence. In a separate incident on the same day, suspected bandits killed 23 civilians in Katsina State, reportedly in reprisal for recent airstrikes that killed 27 militants.

Kwara authorities have since imposed curfews and closed schools in affected areas. Schools were only ordered to reopen on Monday, days before the attack.

Nigeria’s security challenges have drawn renewed international attention after the United States President Donald Trump alleged a “genocide” against Christians in the country, a claim that experts and the Nigerian government have rejected as misleading.

“Both Christians and Muslims are victims of Nigeria’s insecurity,” a senior security analyst told reporters. “These crises cut across religion and ethnicity, and the Kwara massacre is another tragic example.”